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TEA staff answer questions about charter school applications during an SBOE committee meeting.

The State Board of Education (SBOE) Committee on School Initiatives met Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2020, in Austin, where their agenda included a look at applications by charter schools to open new schools or expand to new campuses.

Member Marisa Perez-Diaz (D-San Antonio) asked Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff to consider the geographic location of existing charter schools and pending applications for new charters when it comes to considering whether to grant existing charter schools permission to expand to additional campuses.

Member Matt Robinson (R-Friendswood) suggested staff require charter applicants and applicants for expansions to provide the agency with the specific location of proposed new charter schools, either down to the zip code or independent school district level, as part of the application. Member Georgina Perez (D-El Paso) took time away from the Committee on Instruction to press TEA staff to provide additional information on charter applications.

A number of witnesses testified before the committee regarding new charter schools, focusing on market saturation and duplication of services in many cases. Suggestions to improve the application process included requiring applicants to identify specific services that are not addressed by ISD schools, as well as the specific location of planned new campuses. Board Chair Keven Ellis (R-Lufkin) expressed agreement with the concept of including more information in applications, such as geographic information.

The SBOE will conclude its week-long January meeting on Friday, when the agenda is set to include advancing curriculum standards for a new course on African-American Studies. As always, we invite you to stay tuned to Teach the Vote for updates.